Romance on Set: Book Review of Ship Wrecked

 

Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thank you to William Morrow and GoodReads Giveaways, who provided Olivia Dade’s Ship Wrecked in exchange for a fair and honest review.

In Ship Wrecked, Maria and Peter have an amazing one-night stand, and Maria slips off while Peter is sleeping. The night will replay in both of their brains during lonely nights.

Or, that is what should have happened. Instead, Peter wakes to find himself abandoned, not even a note, and in his growing bitterness toward Maria-without-a-last-name, he finds himself auditioning with her the next morning for a TV role that he very much wants. He becomes even more upset when she does an excellent job and he fears that the two of them, if they are cast and if the show does well, could be working together for a long, long time.

Maria does not buckle under the cruel words that Peter throws at her when they realize that they will be acting together, but she does determine that he will live to regret his insults. When the two head out to a remote island that will be inhabited mainly by the two actors and the crew, Maria brings everyone together, with her kind and boisterous ways, and her ability to bring people out, even the socially awkward Peter.

The two are clearly still attracted to each other, and the off-season from shooting does nothing to quench that desire. But can they heal the other’s wounds enough to make their love last?

Ship Wrecked has spicy scenes, humor, and a body positive message. Peter and Maria’s banter is fun, as is the interaction with the crew and larger cast of the show. Maria is an amazing character, self-confident and full of the good stuff that brings out the best in others. The overall positivity of the book is clear and present. It was an enjoyable book to read.

Would I teach this book? Possibly, in a genre or romance writing class. It feels almost like fanfiction (and it does include fictional fanfiction), but written better than most fanfiction. The made-up show that Peter and Maria work on, Gods of the Gates, is a plausible show that sounds like a cross between Xena and Game of Thrones. The merits of this book are that it is fun, it has spicy parts, and there is a romance underlying the lust. The spectacle of the TV show allows for added cuteness and a soundboard for body positivity.

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